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Raymond man accused of abusing infant wants his statements to police thrown out

By JAMES A. KIMBLEUnion Leader Correspondent

BRENTWOOD — A Raymond man is claiming that police pressed him to admit that he abused his one-month old son before taking him to Exeter Hospital in December to be examined for injuries, according to his lawyers.

Public defenders are asking a judge to throw out statements that Cavan Moore, 27, made to Raymond police so a jury won’t be able to consider them as evidence.

Moore is facing 14 counts of second-degree assault and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child in Rockingham County Superior Court for allegedly injuring his son between Dec. 10 and Dec. 28.

Moore first told police on Dec. 28 that he may have injured his son by “accidentally stepping on him,” according to his lawyers.

Police told Moore that they didn’t believe him, and that the medical evidence showed the injuries were caused by, “twisting and pulling the infant with tremendous force,” according to court records.

Public defenders are arguing that a Raymond police detective should have read Moore his Miranda rights prior to interviewing him.

Public defender Larissa Kiers said in court papers that Moore was told by police that he had to be interviewed so he could be excluded as a suspect. He was then asked to give a statement about how his son was injured.

Moore agreed to write a statement and told police, “he may have caused injury to his son by accidentally stepping on him,” according to a court motion.

A police detective left Moore alone to write his statement, but when the officer returned, Moore “explained he didn’t step on the baby, but maybe sat on him,” Kiers said in a court motion.

More was then confronted by a Raymond police detective about the medical evidence in the case.

“During the interview, Cavan made various statements,” Kiers said in court papers. “None of the statements are per se admissions, but Cavan tries to explain to the detective how the injuries may have occurred.”

Prosecutors have yet to respond to the defense’s argument. A judge will hear testimony on Sept. 20 about the police interview.

The boy’s mother, Erica Moore, is also facing six misdemeanor counts of child endangerment in connection with the case.